March Reflections

what I read, watched, and listened to last month

When I started writing these this year, I thought that it would be nice to write about my life, what happened in the month that I was watching or reading the things that I talked about later in the essay. I didn’t think about what it would feel like when something unfavorable was happening, when I wasn’t really ready to talk about how I felt about what was going on. So what I will tell you is that I finally got bookshelves for my room.

Since I moved into this apartment last spring, I’ve kept my books in stacks along the walls of my room. This looked cool, but it was also pretty unruly. I had to stack them depending on size, to make sure they were stable, but I actually prefer them to be in alphabetical order. So getting the shelves and organizing my books has felt like one thing in my life I can actually control. I’ve got my read books, YA and Adult, all in alphabetical order. I’ve got three ARC shelves (one for books I haven’t read that aren’t out, one for books I haven’t read that are, one for books I have read), and a TBR shelf for any finished copies of books I have. I even have room for more books, which felt crazy after seeing them all pushed together the night before. Plus, the bookshelves somehow make my room look bigger. Maybe having furniture other than my bed in my room makes actual sense?

Though my life kinda feels like chaos right now, I read some truly banger books and watched like seven movies this month.

books

Sula by Toni Morrison: Morrison is truly an incredible writer. On a sentence basis, it’s beautiful. On a plot basis, it’s smart and surprising. I wanted to read this book this year because of Tembe’s essay about it, and her writing about it is better than anything I could say here. I just want you to know that I loved this novel.

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen: I have loved Dessen’s books forever, and her first in seven years truly did not disappoint. Like her other novels, this one is on its face a YA romance. But it is actually so much more. It explores family, and friendships, and how the lines between those two groups can blur. The main character in this one feels fresh, and while it hits similar emotional beats to a lot of Dessen’s previous work, it’s a completely new story.

Devour Me by Emily Rath: A paranormal why-choose romance from one of my favorite guilty pleasure authors. Rath writes books that I truly cannot put down, and her take on this tight knit witch community with a soul eating wraith was no different. I read it in a day, and then forced into my romance reading coworker’s hands. I love seeing what authors can do in various genres, so this was really fun to read.

Fat Swim by Emma Copley-Eisenberg: You have to get your hands on this short story collection when it comes out in May. Copley-Eisenberg’s writing truly shines in these stories. They’re loosely linked, and what she does in the final story is truly mind blowing. I loved these stories and these characters.

John of John by Douglas Stuart: Honestly, holy shit. This novel is about a father and son in an insular community trying to navigate their growing and changing relationship. It’s about being queer and loving your family, without really knowing how to express that love. It’s beautiful and heartfelt, and at times funny. Douglas Stuart, I love you and your books.

Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor: This is my favorite book that Taylor has written. It follows Wyeth, an anxious artist who’s trying to navigate friendships and a new relationship and finding motivation to paint. I deeply related to his internal monologues, and I thought the way Taylor worked current media and political topics in worked incredibly well.

movies

Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious because this franchise truly is never ending. I just do not understand how we got HERE. These are still fun, of course, but like my friend Cameron likes to say “They used to steal DVD players!” I also could not get over the timeline of the random baby appearing in the 8th movie. It makes literally zero sense.

The Bride! was a mess, but a fun enjoyable mess. I actually did love it, and it felt really nice to watch a Frankenstein adaptation made by someone who deeply understands Mary Shelley and her original work.

How to Make a Killing sucked. It relied fully on bad narration and it was a waste of time. I still think Glen Powell has potential, but it does seem like he has taken any and every role offered to him, no matter how bad the movie is going to be.

Reminders of Him did actually make me cry several times. And the decision to cast Bradley Whitford and Lauren Graham as a married couple is an inspired choice. I liked this movie, a lot, and it made me wish that they were making and releasing more mid-budget movies. Not everything has to be a groundbreaking film, and this proves that!

Project Hail Mary rocked. I loved it, and the role was perfect for Ryan Gosling. Funny, and endearing, and heartfelt. Even the minor roles in this movie felt perfectly cast. This will definitely be a rewatchable film.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come was a blast. I loved the first one, and the way this picked up right where that one left off was a delight. I’ve been a major fan of Kathryn Newton since the lone season of The Society, and it’s been really fun to watch her grow in these horror movies.

this is a cake I made

tv shows

Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (season 4): I watched this entire season in one single day. These women are nuts, but in a mostly good way. My favorite storyline the whole season is the one following Whitney and Jen, while they’re on Dancing with the Stars. Whitney has shown so much growth over the course of the show, and it’s obvious that she is trying so hard to be a good friend to the other women. Jen gets so mad at her near the end of the season for seemingly no reason, and it was obvious to me that Whitney was so upset because she thought that they were closer than that. I also found seeing the other side of book tour drama play out with Mayci, when she gets that call from her agent.

Summer House season 10: Watching this season play out after learning about West and Amanda now hooking up is chilling. The way that Ciara councils Amanda about her troubled marriage, offering to let Amanda stay in her house, shows me that she cared deeply about Amanda. And watching West try so hard to get back in Ciara’s good graces, seemingly trying to pursue a relationship again? It makes me feel BAD. I also am so mad at Amanda, because now Kyle won’t be held accountable for his actions. Kyle has been SO mean to Amanda all season, in a very gross way, but there’s no way they actually make him answer for that during the reunion now. On the newbie side, I’m really liking KJ and Dara. I am not a big fan of Ben, and I’m still trying to figure out Bailey and Levi. I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the season, but mostly I’m looking forward to the reunion.